Fox News Wrongly Believes Obamacare is "Advertising" in Cosmopolitan

The Real Story With Gretchen Carlson does not have the real story at ALL.

Gretchen Carlson, star of The Real Story With Gretchen Carlson seems to possess a fundamental misunderstanding of "the real story" about Obamacare's relationship to Cosmopolitan. On her Wednesday show, Carlson did a segment about Obamacare (aka the Affordable Care Act) "advertising in Cosmopolitan magazine." However, it's completely unclear what Carlson is talking about since Obamacare is not advertising in the magazine — which would make her "real story," in fact, a fake one. That's right, there are no ads for Obamacare paid for and placed by the Obama administration in Cosmopolitan. Zero. None. NO ADS.

Here's what is true: this site, Cosmopolitan.com and Cosmopolitan in print have both run stories about how the act benefits women, how women can get free birth control under the act, and how women can sign up for coverage under the law. But those are not advertisements. Those are reported articles intended to explain to our readers how they can obtain health coverage if they don't already have it, and how they can lower their healthcare costs by getting birth control without a co-pay.

But! Carlson insists throughout the entire discussion that Obamacare is advertising in the magazine. "The administration advertises the Affordable Care Act in the pages of the popular women's magazine, and there's good reason," Carlson says. "You see, in order for Obamacare to succeed, it needs to get the right demographic to enroll people who are young and healthy."

She then turns to her panel, including new Miss America Nina Davuluri, Melissa Francis, who hosts Money With Melissa Francis on the Fox Business channel, and former Real Housewife of New York Jill Zarin.

"You are young, you're probably still on your parents' insurance because you're under 26, but you also want to be a physician," Carlson says to Davuluri. "As far as advertising in Cosmo, is this a great strategy or is it desperate?"

"I think it's a great strategy and it's painful for me to say this but a lot of young women like me get their news from Cosmo," Davuluri responds. (Oh, girl. Own your media consumption like you own that crown!)

"Except, Melissa," Carlson continues, "they leave out some of the details about the eight great things that women can get like —" Once again: the Obama administration did not write that article. Journalist Phil Galewitz did. But, let's brush that part under the rug and continue with the conversation!

"Like who's going to pay for it, and like that they need to sign up, and they're essential in order for the whole thing to work," Francis continues. "I mean, If you look at the way it's marketed in the magazine it's 'eight great things,' and it's all the things you can get essentially for free by signing up. But they fail to mention it's your money that's going to make this thing work because at this point you're not a great cost to insurance but we need you to pay in. And they leave that out." (The post still isn't marketing! It's an article!)

"It's not the first time that administrations have done this, Jill. I mean, there's ways of messaging and then theres ways of really messaging, and one thing you have to give this administration credit for is that they're good at messaging," Carlson goes on. "But is it correct to do it in this way without telling all the details?"

Again: no Obamacare ads to see here!

Zarin at least questions whether or not the post in question by Galewitz is an ad: "I think any time you advertise you have your side of it. That's all you're going to show. I don't know if in the magazine it's advertorial or is it editorial. And if it's advertorial then it's clear that it's advertorial, then of course you're going to see it one-sided. But what I think is really important to know about the whole Obamacare situation is when these women sign up for themselves or their families just to even see what your options are you have to give them your email address, you have to activate, and you have to give — enter three security codes. So now already, which I know is another topic, is they're gathering all this information on us and we haven't even chosen what we're going to do yet. And before we can even look — we're not even allowed to look until we touch. Until they start to gather our information."

Carlson responds, "What you're talking about is the expansion of government, which many people are very fearful of."

I'm fearful of "news" segments based on false assertions, but maybe Fox just wants to market themselves that way. I'd love to know if Carlson thinks that's a great strategy — or desperate.

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